2023-07-20 09:48:08
According to data from the Ministry of the Interior, specifically in the year 2020 the 50.8% of the victims of crimes against sexual freedom were minors old. This violence against minors victimizes mainly girls and adolescents.
All forms of sexual violence have a devastating impact on life of those who suffer it, which includes physical and psychological damage in the short, medium and long term.
In Spain there are several organizations such as the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Equality who face the problem of sexual violence against minors.
The Spanish Society of Epidemiology has warned that this issue, which it considers a public health problem, needs a coordinated and multidisciplinary actionand demand more resources to prevent it.
Epidemiologists bet on early identification, adequate treatment, collaboration with justice, limitation of pornography and emotional support as fundamental keys to protect boys and girls from this social problem.
In an interview with EFEsalud, Maria Ángeles Arenas, expert from the Working Group on Social Determinants of Health of the Spanish Society of Epidemiologyexplains the importance of addressing sexual violence among minors from multiple perspectives.
Prevent sexual violence among minors
The vast majority of people exposed to different forms of sexual violence against minors are teen girls and girlswhile the perpetrators are mostly adolescent boys.
To deal with this situation, gender perspective and the importance of achieving gender equality plays a fundamental role In the development of prevention strategies.
“The first thing to try is to make society aware of the seriousness of a problem that is also preventable,” says María Ángeles Arenas.
According to the SEE expert, the prevention of sexual violence has many edges: from education, from public policies, from health institutions… and all of them must be addressed.
“The education, public health and justice They are very important sectors that must act together to prevent sexual violence among minors”, explains the epidemiologist.
1. The power of education: pornography and sexuality
“Education is the fundamental pillar,” says Arenas.
The SEE points out that affective sexual education, both for minors and adults, is vital for finish with thise problem.
From the organization they advocate for a education that trains girls, boys and adolescents in matters of rights, sexual conduct or identification of violence.
Education on sexuality contributes to improve attitudes of confidence and self-identity and fosters equitable relationships.
“To be effective, sex education has to be based on equality, break gender stereotypes, and where zero tolerance for pornography among minors is essential, which is a very bad school,” he defends.
“What they learn from sexual relations, from men and women does not correspond to reality,” he stresses.
In this way, if the first approach that a minor has to sexual relations is through pornography, they will probably have a very distorted vision of sex.
Therefore, the promotion of a more critical attitude towards the use and abuse of pornography from ages
early forms a key strategy in preventing the problemargues Arenas.
Likewise, it is important to inform families, the educational community and other people in charge, about how to prevent and detect child sexual violence.
EFE/ Ana Escobar
2. The health system in the fight against sexual violence in minors
The health sector plays a fundamental role in protecting the well-being of minors.
The SEE defends as essential pillars for prevention, early identification and proper treatment of cases of sexual violence.
According to the organization, health professionals, especially in paediatrics, psychology and Primary Care, must have the necessary training to detect these situations early and provide support and treatment to affected children.
Professionals advocate establish and implement clear protocols for social and health care of the victims, as well as ensuring that they receive the emotional and psychological support they may need.
“Sexual health, like health in general, requires a physical, mental, and social component, and therefore, when addressing a problem of sexual violence, the identity of the person must be taken into account, taking into account the psychological, social, and biological aspects,” explains María Ángeles Arenas.
In addition to all the physical and mental health problems, sexual violence also places an economic burden on the health system.
According to a study prepared by the Childhood Observatory in 2018 they spent around billion euro in this problem, without even counting prevention, education or awareness.
3. Justice and its approach to sexual violence against minors
It is essential that cases of child sexual violence are reported and that those responsible are punished to prevent the repetition of these acts.
For this reason, the SEE affirms that justice has a very important crucial function in addressing sexual violence against minors.
Joint action to prevent
According to experts from the SEE, the cross-sector collaboration between the field of education, justice and health is essential, especially in the expert work that continues in the prosecution of crimes.
The fact of reliving this situation through police investigations and the judicial process can cause a serious psychological and emotional damage to the victims.
“You have to avoid re-victimization by doing scans sole joint to prevent the girl from having to undergo an analysis or review of the damages by court order and then again having to do it for the health field, ”says Arenas.
“We must focus on preventing girls and adolescents from having to constantly repeat that experience,” reaffirms the expert.
He proposes that this exploration be done only once by a test that is useful for the justice sector and for health.
Therefore, remember that “sexual violence against minors is a serious problem that must be tackled We cannot wait any longer and to achieve this we need joint action where all sectors know how to act”.
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